Droid update 2.1 news

[Jokool_7777]

The only reason I was looking forward to this update was for the Live Wallpaper function....oh well, I really dont care when it comes out now.I'll get it when I get it.

 

[sc4fpse]

As with anything from Engadget, I'm taking this with a grain of salt.

In the event that they're correct and there is no revised drawer and no live wallpapers, I'll just root and get a 2.1 rom. Problem solved. Didn't have to have to root, but if we get screwed like that, I won't hesitate for a moment.

 

[928Droid]

Just in case this could be true (I personally doubt it) that we don't get LiveWallpapers or the 3D app drawer. We should start to hit up MotoMobile on twitter to let them know this would not be acceptable and would cause us to reconsider purchasing Moto's phones in the future.

 

[JFDroid]

Maybe it's just me, but I tend to trust Boygeniusreport more than Engadget when it comes to Android/Google stuff. They are a little too apple-ish for me, and while BGR's apple bias is also quite clearly shown in, well, everything they write, they tend to get better leaks from what I remember.

While I hate to complain when all we have is a rumor that is unsubstantiated (in that even if Engadget posts it, I still don't believe it 'til i see it), I will say that the Nexus One on Verizon later this spring is looking ever more appealing. Maybe our GPU + CPU combination isn't as powerful as we think, and maybe the Snapdragon is that fast.

I would tend to trust Google on what a phone can/can't do more than people on this forum. The Sholes guys are no doubt amazing - I've seen videos of their ROMs and they make it easy for most of us to root. Without them, I think we'd all be complaining a lot more. But, if Google & Motorola feel that the Droid can't handle live wallpapers and the new launcher without bogging down the phone too much to properly run other programs, then I have to sit here and say they are right.

I guess I'll stick with an overclocked custom ROM for now and if the 2.1 update for the Droid is what Engadget's source says it is, if it passes testing and all of that jazz, then at least we'll all get a good (or hopefully good?) multitouch browser in our ROMs that is made to run natively on the Droid and not ripped from the milestone/Nexus One.

In any situation, without live wallpapers and the new launcher, I can't say the Droid will be, for me, as good as the Nexus One. I'd prefer a thinner phone anyway - not that the Droid is fat necessarily, as even for a slider it's super thin - but something thinner yet wouldn't hurt. Plus, the physical keyboard is completely useless to me. I just HATE HTC made hardware. Their home/back/menu/search keys on the bottom of the screen are just... crap. Motorola's Droid's keys are so much easier to press and when you press the center of them, they respond. HTC's you have to press a little above where the button is, close to the screen, to make it work. Well, that's how it works on the Droid Eris anyway.

Maybe the only hope someone like me has of getting the perfect combination of top-of-the-line Google support & truly best-in-class hardware (where the Nexus One is > the Motorola Droid) is waiting for Motorola to announce more details, including a launch date and a price for their Google.com/phone phone they are making, since it was revealed the "next Nexus One" type phone will not be made by HTC but instead by Motorola. Maybe just don't put a physical keyboard on this next phone...

 

[hacku]

Hmmm... I don't know about the rest of you, but it sounded fishy to me where it said that it's making its rounds through "Verizon's testing department". What would the new update have to do with Verizon? It's a Motorola phone, and the update is from Motorola not Verizon.

You would think that if it's being tested it would have been done by Motorola and not Verizon. The only thing I could see Verizon needing to test would be the OTA download/install, but that's about it.

Also the part where they saying we are keeping the 2.0.1 app drawer. Other than the 5 home screens the 3D app drawer is probably the biggest visual change in 2.1, so I don't really see Motorola not giving us that.

I call B.S. on these so called "news".

 

[mth04]

As with anything from Engadget, I'm taking this with a grain of salt.

In the event that they're correct and there is no revised drawer and no live wallpapers, I'll just root and get a 2.1 rom. Problem solved. Didn't have to have to root, but if we get screwed like that, I won't hesitate for a moment.

What's funny to me is you view it as being "screwed" or something. There might be a reason for what you are reading. Why not just wait and see. Maybe the test version doesn't have those things..maybe there is a reason for that,.....i know personally using the "launcer" i liked the animation. Though it had no landscape functionality. I for one would rather have a device that works 100% even with out the animations

 

[mth04]

Hmmm... I don't know about the rest of you, but it sounded fishy to me where it said that it's making its rounds through "Verizon's testing department". What would the new update have to do with Verizon? It's a Motorola phone, and the update is from Motorola not Verizon.

You would think that if it's being tested it would have been done by Motorola and not Verizon. The only thing I could see Verizon needing to test would be the OTA download/install, but that's about it.

Also the part where they saying we are keeping the 2.0.1 app drawer. Other than the 5 home screens the 3D app drawer is probably the biggest visual change in 2.1, so I don't really see Motorola not giving us that.

I call B.S. on these so called "news".

It would still get tested by VZW. Even if it is a google experience device

 

[JhankG]

Hmmm... I don't know about the rest of you, but it sounded fishy to me where it said that it's making its rounds through "Verizon's testing department". What would the new update have to do with Verizon? It's a Motorola phone, and the update is from Motorola not Verizon.

You would think that if it's being tested it would have been done by Motorola and not Verizon. The only thing I could see Verizon needing to test would be the OTA download/install, but that's about it.

Also the part where they saying we are keeping the 2.0.1 app drawer. Other than the 5 home screens the 3D app drawer is probably the biggest visual change in 2.1, so I don't really see Motorola not giving us that.

I call B.S. on these so called "news".

That's not fishy at all. All OS updates have to go through Verizon before being released. Our 2.0.1 update went from Google to Motorola to Verizon. Verizon would never allow an update to go out before thoroughly testing it because they are the ones who deal with support questions/problems.

 

[sc4fpse]

As with anything from Engadget, I'm taking this with a grain of salt.

In the event that they're correct and there is no revised drawer and no live wallpapers, I'll just root and get a 2.1 rom. Problem solved. Didn't have to have to root, but if we get screwed like that, I won't hesitate for a moment.

What's funny to me is you view it as being "screwed" or something. There might be a reason for what you are reading. Why not just wait and see. Maybe the test version doesn't have those things..maybe there is a reason for that,.....i know personally using the "launcer" i liked the animation. Though it had no landscape functionality. I for one would rather have a device that works 100% even with out the animations

I understand the need for commercial releases to work 100% percent of the time, so perhaps I was being overly critical. However, I'm content with my device working 99.9% of the time (save me the "but what if it fails when you need it most" hypothetical situations), so as much as I would like to not have to root my phone, I would definitely root and get a custom 2.1 mod so I could have the 2.1 functionality that the Nexus One has. It's clear that the Droid's hardware is capable of supporting it quite well. But if it's not 100% perfect like Verizon/Motorola require it to be, and the most interesting and [arguably] most anticipated parts have to be removed, it should come as no surprise that myself and many others will take the leap and move to rooting and getting a custom 2.1 rom from the community's wonderful developers.

Anyways, I guess I would just be a little disappointed if four months after launch, the hardware of the Motorola Droid was considered to be insufficient when it comes to meeting the requirements of the flashier components of 2.1. The fact that technology grows at an insane rate is not lost upon me. It's just that four months is not much time at all (even in the technology world), and developers in the community have gotten most parts of 2.1 running nearly flawlessly on the Motorola Droid by themselves. If Motorola's/Google's devs can't one-up community Devs, then some pink slips and some job offers are in order.

My $0.02, fwiw.

 

[JhankG]

My Droid's CPU is running at the same speed as the Nexus One's (1ghz) to go along with the dedicated GPU that the Nexus does not have. If the Droid's hardware is already considered too out of date to support these new features, it now seems that Motorola should have used a more powerful CPU or at least should have bumped up the current CPU's speed.

 

[928Droid]

I could understand if Moto didn't have the 3D app drawer in the release, afterall how long have the Devs on Sholes and Alldroid been trying to get it to work right in Landscape on the Droid without success. It would be sad but predictable if Google didn't make it compatible with landscape since Nexus doesn't have that mode for Home screen..

BUT, not putting Livewallpapers in the release would be unexcusable IMHO. Already having the other ported 2.1 apps installed and since Google didn't fix any real issues like BT etc in 2.1, Livewallpapers was the only thing I looked forward to with the 2.1 release :-(

 

[mth04]

As with anything from Engadget, I'm taking this with a grain of salt.

In the event that they're correct and there is no revised drawer and no live wallpapers, I'll just root and get a 2.1 rom. Problem solved. Didn't have to have to root, but if we get screwed like that, I won't hesitate for a moment.

What's funny to me is you view it as being "screwed" or something. There might be a reason for what you are reading. Why not just wait and see. Maybe the test version doesn't have those things..maybe there is a reason for that,.....i know personally using the "launcer" i liked the animation. Though it had no landscape functionality. I for one would rather have a device that works 100% even with out the animations

I understand the need for commercial releases to work 100% percent of the time, so perhaps I was being overly critical. However, I'm content with my device working 99.9% of the time (save me the "but what if it fails when you need it most" hypothetical situations), so as much as I would like to not have to root my phone, I would definitely root and get a custom 2.1 mod so I could have the 2.1 functionality that the Nexus One has. It's clear that the Droid's hardware is capable of supporting it quite well. But if it's not 100% perfect like Verizon/Motorola require it to be, and the most interesting and [arguably] most anticipated parts have to be removed, it should come as no surprise that myself and many others will take the leap and move to rooting and getting a custom 2.1 rom from the community's wonderful developers.

Anyways, I guess I would just be a little disappointed if four months after launch, the hardware of the Motorola Droid was considered to be insufficient when it comes to meeting the requirements of the flashier components of 2.1. The fact that technology grows at an insane rate is not lost upon me. It's just that four months is not much time at all (even in the technology world), and developers in the community have gotten most parts of 2.1 running nearly flawlessly on the Motorola Droid by themselves. If Motorola's/Google's devs can't one-up community Devs, then some pink slips and some job offers are in order.

My $0.02, fwiw.

I don't disagree with you though I will be Google has thier easons for what ever comes our way :icon_ devil:

 

[sc4fpse]

What's funny to me is you view it as being "screwed" or something. There might be a reason for what you are reading. Why not just wait and see. Maybe the test version doesn't have those things..maybe there is a reason for that,.....i know personally using the "launcer" i liked the animation. Though it had no landscape functionality. I for one would rather have a device that works 100% even with out the animations

I understand the need for commercial releases to work 100% percent of the time, so perhaps I was being overly critical. However, I'm content with my device working 99.9% of the time (save me the "but what if it fails when you need it most" hypothetical situations), so as much as I would like to not have to root my phone, I would definitely root and get a custom 2.1 mod so I could have the 2.1 functionality that the Nexus One has. It's clear that the Droid's hardware is capable of supporting it quite well. But if it's not 100% perfect like Verizon/Motorola require it to be, and the most interesting and [arguably] most anticipated parts have to be removed, it should come as no surprise that myself and many others will take the leap and move to rooting and getting a custom 2.1 rom from the community's wonderful developers.

Anyways, I guess I would just be a little disappointed if four months after launch, the hardware of the Motorola Droid was considered to be insufficient when it comes to meeting the requirements of the flashier components of 2.1. The fact that technology grows at an insane rate is not lost upon me. It's just that four months is not much time at all (even in the technology world), and developers in the community have gotten most parts of 2.1 running nearly flawlessly on the Motorola Droid by themselves. If Motorola's/Google's devs can't one-up community Devs, then some pink slips and some job offers are in order.

My $0.02, fwiw.

I don't disagree with you though I will be Google has thier easons for what ever comes our way :icon_ devil:

I'd like to think so. But I'm always one to question a company, no matter what they say or do. If I wanted to blindly follow a company and regard everything they say and do as Gospel, I'd buy an iPhone.

Another thing to consider... Motorola has to be looking forward to more direct Android competition with HTC upon the release of the CDMA Nexus One. If they short the Droid live wallpapers and the drawer, that would undoubtedly be a deal breaker for some people, and more than likely something important to consider for many more. The Droid is still being sold and currently is Verizon's flagship phone, but the Nexus One on Verizon could very easily challenge the Droid for the top position. It would be in Motorola's best interest to ensure that the Droid had the full, non-crippled 2.1 firmware.

 

[k0tix]

thats BS i was looking forward to the new 2.1 home layout i want the 2 extra home screens, the droid NEEDS it BAD 3 isnt enough at all!!! they better not scrap voice to text too or ill leave verizon and join up with tmobile for the nexus 1!!!

GOOGLE/VERIZON SCRAP THE NEW APP LAUNCHER BUT GIVE US OUR EXTRA SCREENS !!

 

[JFDroid]

Hmmm... I don't know about the rest of you, but it sounded fishy to me where it said that it's making its rounds through "Verizon's testing department". What would the new update have to do with Verizon? It's a Motorola phone, and the update is from Motorola not Verizon.

You would think that if it's being tested it would have been done by Motorola and not Verizon. The only thing I could see Verizon needing to test would be the OTA download/install, but that's about it.

Also the part where they saying we are keeping the 2.0.1 app drawer. Other than the 5 home screens the 3D app drawer is probably the biggest visual change in 2.1, so I don't really see Motorola not giving us that.

I call B.S. on these so called "news".

That's not fishy at all. All OS updates have to go through Verizon before being released. Our 2.0.1 update went from Google to Motorola to Verizon. Verizon would never allow an update to go out before thoroughly testing it because they are the ones who deal with support questions/problems.

This debate reminds me of many that were had on the crackberry forums in regard to OS 5.0 for the Blackberry Storm and other Blackberry devices.

Basically, RIM (the maker of Blackberry) published tens of revisions of their software for their smartphones (including the Blackberry Storm), yet it was up to each individual carrier as to what version they would publish.

This is why you didn't see a device-specific rollout of the same OS across multiple carriers simultaneously. This is why you had people on Canadian carriers (and maybe still do, I haven't checked in a while) running OS 4.x on their Blackberry Storm 9530 after the Storm2 9550 launched on Verizon and Verizon launched the 5.0 OS update for the original Storm 9530.

Device manufacturers work with the software manufacturers (easier for RIM/Apple since they do both the hardware & software) for their devices, and when they feel they have a good OS candidate, they go ahead and push that OS revision to the carriers of their phones. By that point, it's already been tested by the hardware/software makers of the phone. It's now up to the carrier to test the software to make sure it fits with what they feel is good enough for their customers. The big slowdown, usually, is with the carriers because they are sooooooooooooooooooo picky. They have to deal with customers directly, in-store, much more than the hardware/software makers do, and so Verizon (and other carriers) want the least buggy software possible. Why? The less bugs, and the easier the software is to use, the less questions they get and the less of a headache these things are for the carriers.

It's kind of a long process, and annoying, so you can see how it would take a lot of time. Google/HTC have the Nexus One, and essentially since it's sold through google.com/phone and *not* through T-Mobile (and soon to be Verizon), it is simply allowed to access their mobile networks, carriers have no say in this discussion. So, you have a one step process with the Nexus One where Google makes the software and says "hit the OTA update button, this thing is live" - because it is the newest phone, and because Google essentially controls everything.

Then, 2.1 (and now 2.1 Update 1) source code is released a short time later for all other Android devices (including our Droid) and then that source code must be optimized for any given device a manufacturer has (such as the Droid). Then, once Motorola (the manufacturer in the Droid's case) approves the OS, it's sent to Verizon. Then Verizon has to test it.

This means to get an update for our phone, it can take 2-3x longer, or more, in order to get the same thing the Nexus One gets.

I actually now am just starting to see the brilliance of Google's Nexus One. Maybe the hardware/software isn't truly innovative or completely new/shocking/groundbreaking, but they really did a great job of cutting LOTS of red tape.

Their relationship with HTC works, because Google needs a manufacturer. Then they get approval/endorsement by carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon (and possibly others later on - who approve/endorse this idea because it nets them contracts, which in turn nets them guaranteed income over a certain period of time). Once the software (made by Google), hardware, and carrier are in place, Google just needs FCC clearance like any other device and then all systems are go.

This is amazing, because Google can publish updates so much faster than anyone else can, because they don't have to wait for their hardware manufacturer to test it, and they definitely don't have to wait on a carrier to test it (I'm assuming).

That saves time, and instead of dealing with so many headaches and corporate rules/policies, the consumer wins because they get what they want, and in turn Google earns a good reputation for selling phones, which bolsters their bottom line even more.

I'm thinking this was all only a small part of Google's true motive for the Nexus One (and Android, as a whole) - originally, they had Android to push their search engine & web advertising on mobile platforms. Then the Nexus One was the refinement of their idea of how best to push Android & advertisement via the mobile web.

Very smart, I'd say.